The present invention relates to an Internet information displaying apparatus taking in the information, converting into picture signals, and displaying on a CRT display or the like.
Recently, owing to the wide popularity of personal computers, information is transmitted and received widely by using the Internet.
The Internet is a network of multiple computers connected on a global scale, and various pieces of readable information are stored in individual computers. These pieces of information include E-mails, various programs, and home pages, which can be communicated in two ways. The home page corresponds to the title and table of contents of a piece of information, and by selecting a graphic pattern (icon) or a word on the home page, the necessary information can be reviewed.
Therefore, recently, more an more users are using the Internet as the site of information presentation. It is the WWW (World Wide Web) that is noticed as the server for providing such information.
The reason why the WWW server is drawing attention is mainly due to the wide spread of the client software (browser) for retrieving information by using a graphical menu. By the development of such browser, it becomes easier to search information on the network, and the traffic volume to the WWW server increased rapidly, and the users have come to notice as the publicity media, and many users have come to use.
To read information of the WWW server, as mentioned above, the browser is needed. For example, the browser is disclosed in pages 164 to 167 of xe2x80x9cInternet Handbook for Corporate Usersxe2x80x9d, an extra output of Nikkei Communications published by Nikkei BP (Nov. 30, 1994).
On the other hand, to review the information of WWW server by the Internet, conventionally, it was necessary to install the browser in the personal computer.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional connection example of computer and Internet. In this connection example, a personal computer 7 is connected to a communication line 2 through a modem 8 or a terminal adapter, and through the communication line 2, it is further connected to a modem 3 or a terminal adapter of a provider which is a connection service firm. The modem 3 is connected to a server 4 which is the computer of the provider.
The server 4 is connected to the Internet 6 around the clock, and is connected to the Internet 6 through a router 5 for setting a trunk route.
From the personal computer 7, a telephone call is made when necessary, and a connection is made to the Internet 6 through the server 4 of the provider (dial-up connection).
Among those not owning personal computer, there are many people wanting to use the Internet, but not daring to buy a personal computer. Some are hesitant to operate the personal computer. Among those people, it seems many people want to use the Internet, if possible, without using the personal computer.
In such background, lately, the Internet television allowing to use the Internet easily by the television receiver is proposed. That is, the Internet information is displayed by using the television receiver in the general household as the display of the personal computer. Accordingly, without having to purchase a personal computer, only a device for receiving the Internet information is built in or attached to the television receiver, and such device is easy to handle as compared with the personal computer, and the television receiver functions its original purpose while not reviewing the Internet information, which is very convenient for the user.
By the way, in the Internet communication, depending on the busy line state, time may be required to connect to the desired information source. Accordingly, the user of the Internet television as an Internet information displaying apparatus may have occasions desiring to watch a scene as a television broadcast program and the screen of the Internet communication at the same time. Therefore, there has been desired the realization of the Internet information displaying apparatus which can display simultaneously the television broadcast program and the screen of the Internet communication until connection is realized with the desired information source, or, without being limited to the duration of connecting operation, can simultaneously display both the television program and the Internet communication screen at any time.
However, recently, in the television receiver, the users have had the increased opportunities to watch not only the television programs on the television broadcasts but also the picture signals from VTR (Video Tape Recorder) or LD (Laser Disk) or the picture signals from the computer game players.
Among these picture signals from many signal sources, there are not only the interlaced signals like ordinary television broadcasts but also non-interlace signals. Especially, the blue back signals of VTR and LD and the picture signals of computer game players come under this category.
In this case, in displaying the non-interlace picture signals on the television screen and the Internet picture signals on the Internet screen visually right and left on an Internet television, in the picture FIFO circuit on the Internet circuit the Internet picture signals are to be outputted with the timing of being prepared on the basis of the synchronizing signal by the picture signal of the television screen.
On the other hand, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, using the judgment result made by judging Odd/Even simultaneously with using the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal of the picture signals of the television screen, interruption of vertical synchronous period is performed to carry out control of the address of RAM for DMA, so as to have the Internet screen display made on each Odd/Even line.
For this reason, in case where the television screen is a non-interlace picture signal, Odd/Even as described above cannot be judged. Accordingly, only the picture signal of any field of Odd/Even is to be outputted based on each field (e.g., with the ODD only, the Odd field only is outputted).
As a result, as the Internet screen is scanned only on one field, the vertical resolution becomes 1/2 to cause collapse of display. Especially, since the Internet screen includes characters in addition to the images, there is an additional problem of difficulty to observe the display.
Furthermore, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, there can be adopted a use method of turning the Internet screen display off and instead enjoying the television program by displaying the television screen on, during the interval of down-loading the Internet text or image data.
In this case, though the Internet screen is in display off state, the Internet circuit is in operating condition because of the down-loading operation. Since the Internet circuit is operating in spite of the non-display of the Internet screen, there is a likelihood for the DMA function for actuating the display operation to be kept in operating state.
In case of the state being as above, the DMA function is to occupy the bus, and the time allowed for the CPU to use the bus is shortened, so that there is a possibility for delaying the data down-loading. Also, due to the actuation of the DMA function, the electric current for reading out data from the RAM is consumed. The current consumption for access to the RAM is non-negligibly large. Moreover, there occurs interference with the television screen by the unnecessary radiation due to the reading out of RAM data and by the picture signal to be outputted from the Internet circuit. The effect is large especially when the television broadcast is in weak electric field.
Furthermore, in the Internet information displaying apparatus, the television program and the Internet screen can be displayed simultaneously on the respective half sides of a screen, as shown in FIG. 2. In this way, when the two picture signals with the aspect ratio of 4:3 are displayed by half screen each, in a wide screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9, as shown in FIG. 3B, the ratio of the area (broken line portion) displayed on the screen of side widths D, E to the side widths d, e of the whole area (solid line portion) of the picture signal in the respective half screens becomes 85%. Against this, as shown in FIG. 3A, in case of the display of the picture signal for the screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3 on the whole wide screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9, the ratio of the side width C of the area (broken line portion) displayed on the screen to the side width c of the whole area of the picture signal (solid line portion) is 90%.
In case of displaying on the whole wide screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9, contrivance is made so that the area near the central part of the screen is displayed in nearly right circle, and right and left peripheral parts of the screen are stretched sideways, and also the area not displayed on the screen is lessened. In case of displaying half and half on a wide screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9, the display images are slightly extended in the vertical direction so as to make the portions not displayed on either side less, and to prevent the images to be displayed from becoming excessively small.
As a result of the setting of the ratios and the extensions as mentioned above, in case of displaying two scenes on half screen each on a wide screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9, in displaying letters, the characters at the right and left end parts of the line are not displayed, and in reading the hidden part, the steps of scrolling the screen to right and left are required. Alternatively, the size of the letters to be displayed is reduced to make the whole lines displayed, in which case there are separately required small size fonts.
Furthermore, it can occur for the users of the Internet television as an Internet information displaying apparatus to be much devoted on the Internet information searching and eventually miss the television program which had originally been intended to see. Accordingly, there has been desired an Internet television with which the television programs can be reserved by presetting, so that the television program can be displayed on the screen at the reserved time even during the Internet information searching.
The present invention has been developed in the light of the situation as above. Its primary object is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus having a handy constitution in which, in an Internet information displaying apparatus possessing both the Internet receiving function and the function to display picture signals reproduced, for example, from the television broadcast, video cassette, digital video disk, etc., both the television program and the Internet screen can be simultaneously displayed.
The second object of the invention is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus with which the television program can be displayed at any time during the operation of connection with Internet and under the condition of being connected with Internet, and also, during the operation of connection with Internet, the television program can be automatically displayed.
Furthermore, the third object of the invention is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus with which, when it is possible to display the screen by dividing into two parts of left and right, even if a non-interlace picture signal of television screen is inputted to one of the two divisional screen, display can be made without lacking the image data in the vertical direction of the other Internet screen.
Furthermore, the fourth object of the invention is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus in which, in case of the television screen being watched while the Internet data is being received through the Internet circuit, interference of unnecessary radiation by Internet circuit is eliminated, the electric current consumption of the device is reduced, and high speed data down-load is realized.
The fifth object of the invention is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus with which, in displaying both the television program and the Internet screen half and half, the characters of the Internet screen can be displayed in easily discernible manner.
Additionally, the sixth object is to provide an Internet information displaying apparatus with which the television program can be reserved, and even if the Internet information searching is in progress at the starting time of the reserved television program, the reserved television program can be displayed on the screen.
The first aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a video signal and outputting it; data converting means for converting-digital data taken in from the Internet through a communication line into a second picture signal; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; first horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the first picture signal in the horizontal direction of the screen of the displaying apparatus; second horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the second picture signal in the horizontal direction of the screen of the displaying apparatus; picture composing means for composing the picture signals compressed by the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means, respectively, in a row; and switching means for switching the picture signal to be displayed on the screen of the displaying apparatus into any of the first picture signal, the second picture signal, and the picture signal composed by the picture signal composing means.
According to the first aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, it is possible to realize an Internet information displaying apparatus having handy constitution capable of displaying simultaneously the television program and the Internet screen.
The second aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means both have line memories which store the picture signals in the unit of the scanning line, and in the first horizontal direction compressing means, the first picture signal is written in by the write clock of the multiple frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal extracted from the video signal, and the first picture signal is read out by the read clock of the double frequency of the write clock.
According to the second aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, it is possible for the picture signal read out from the first horizontal direction compressing means to be compressed to 1/2 in the horizontal direction, to have the picture signal and the picture signal compressed to 1/2 by the second horizontal direction compressing means composed in a row, and display the picture on a television screen.
The third aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means both have line memories which store the picture signals in the unit of the scanning line, and in the second horizontal direction compressing means, the second picture signal is written in by carrying out DMA (Direct Memory Access) with the timing based on the horizontal synchronizing signal and vertical synchronizing signal extracted from the video signal.
According to the third aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, the line memory on the Internet screen side is read out in synchronization with the vertical synchronizing signal and the line-locked clock, because of which there is not required any complicated circuit for obtaining synchronization between the two picture signals. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the Internet information displaying apparatus having a simple constitution which is capable of displaying the television program and the Internet screen at the same time.
The fourth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means both have line memories which store the picture signals in the unit of the scanning line, in the first horizontal direction compressing means, the first picture signal is written in by the write clock of the multiple frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal extracted from the video signal, and the first picture signal is read out by the read clock of the double frequency of the write clock, and in the second horizontal direction compressing means, the second picture signal is written in by carrying out DMA (Direct Memory Access) with the timing based on the horizontal synchronizing signal and vertical synchronizing signal extracted from the video signal.
According to the fourth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, the picture signal read out from the first horizontal direction compressing means is compressed to 1/2 in the horizontal direction, and it is possible to compose in a row, the picture signal and the picture signal which has been compressed to 1/2 by the second horizontal direction compressing means and display them on a television screen. Furthermore, by reading out the line memory on the Internet screen side in synchronization with the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal on the television screen side and the line-locked clock, there is required no complicated circuit for having the two video signals synchronized. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the Internet information displaying apparatus having a simple constitution which is capable of displaying the television program and the Internet screen at the same time.
The fifth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a video signal and outputting it; Internet connecting means for taking in digital data from a computer connected with the Internet through a communication line; data converting means for converting digital data taken in by the Internet connecting means to the second picture signal; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; Internet relating picture signal generating means for generating a picture signal relating to the second picture signal; and switching means for switching the picture signal to be displayed on the screen of the displaying apparatus into any of the first picture signal, the second picture signal, and the picture signal generated by the Internet relating picture signal generating means; wherein the switching means output the first picture signal compulsorily to the displaying apparatus to display on the screen during the waiting time until the communication line is connected to the computer and/or the period during which the communication line is connected with the computer.
According to the fifth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, during the connection operation with the Internet and/or under the condition of being connected with Internet, the television program can be displayed at any time.
The sixth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention further comprises, in addition to the fifth aspect, operation start detecting means for detecting the start of operation for the communication line to be connected with the computer; and connection completion detecting means for detecting the completion of connection between the communication line with the computer; wherein the switching means, at the time when the operation start detecting means detects the start of operation, outputs the second picture signal to cause display on the screen of the displaying apparatus, and at the time when the connection completion detecting means detects the completion of connection, outputs the Internet relating picture signal to cause display on the screen of the displaying apparatus.
According to the sixth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, during the connection operation with the Internet, the television program can be automatically displayed.
The seventh aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a video signal and outputting it; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; first horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the first picture signal in the horizontal direction of the screen of the displaying apparatus; storing means for storing digital data as a second picture signal taken in from the Internet corresponding to the picture signal of at least one frame; second horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the digital data as the second picture signal stored in the storing means in the horizontal direction of the screen of the displaying apparatus; picture composing means for composing the picture signal compressed by the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means, respectively, in a row; displaying means for displaying the picture signal from the picture composing means on the screen of the displaying apparatus; judging means for judging whether the first picture signal extracted from the video signal is non-interlace or interlace; and controlling means for controlling in a manner to output the digital data stored in the storing means to the second horizontal direction compressing means by adjusting with the field of the first picture signal when judged to be interlace by the judging means, and to output the digital data stored in the storing means to the second horizontal direction compressing means on each field when judged to be non-interlace by the judging means.
The eighth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect, the judging means judges by comparison as to whether the present field and the preceding field of the picture signals are the same fields of odd number or even number or the different fields.
The ninth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect, when the judging means judges to be non-interlace, controls to output the digital data of the different field on the field of the second picture signal respectively to the second horizontal direction compressing means from the digital data stored in the storing means.
The tenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect, the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means both have line memories which store the picture signals in the unit of the scanning line, in the first horizontal direction compressing means, the first picture signal is written in by the write clock of the multiple frequency of the horizontal synchronizing signal extracted from the second picture signal, and the first picture signal is read out by the read clock of the double frequency of the write clock, in the second horizontal direction compressing means, the second picture signal is written in by carrying out DMA (Direct Memory Access) with the timing based on the horizontal synchronizing signal and vertical synchronizing signal extracted from the second picture signal, and in the storing means, the second picture signal is read out by carrying out DMA (Direct Memory Access) with the timing based on the horizontal synchronizing signal and vertical synchronizing signal extracted from the second picture signal.
According to the seventh through tenth aspects of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention, even if a non-interlace picture signal is inputted to one side of the screen having two divisional parts on a television screen, it is possible to display without causing omission of the picture data in the vertical direction on the other Internet screen.
The eleventh aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a video signal and outputting it; storing means for storing digital data taken in from the Internet through a communication line; video FIFO means for storing the digital data stored in the storing means by one line as data of the second picture signal; writing means for writing in the video FIFO means the digital data stored in the storing means as the data for the picture signal; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; DMA (Direct Memory Access) means for controlling the writing means; distinguishing means for distinguishing the period for not displaying data of the second picture signal on the screen of the displaying apparatus; DMA request signal outputting means for outputting to the DMA means a DMA request signal which requests DMA operation from the writing means; and controlling means for controlling the DMA request signal outputting means to stop the DMA means, depending on the distinguish result of the distinguishing means.
The twelfth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the eleventh aspect, the data stored in the video FIFO means cause to make xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d when displaying state of the second picture signal to the screen of the displaying apparatus becomes OFF.
The thirteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the eleventh aspect, the data stored in the video FIFO means cause to make all the same for one line when displaying state of the second picture signal to the screen of the displaying apparatus becomes OFF.
According to the eleventh through thirteenth aspects of the Internet information displaying apparatus, in case where a television screen is watched under the condition of receiving the Internet data in the Internet circuit, interference of unnecessary radiation by Internet circuit is eliminated, and current consumption is reduced and data downloading is made high speed.
The fourteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a video signal and outputting it; data converting means for converting digital data taken in from the Internet through a communication line into a second picture signal; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; first horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the first picture signal in the horizontal direction of the screen of the displaying apparatus; second horizontal direction compressing means for compressing the second picture signal in the horizontal direction of the screen; picture composing means for composing the picture signals compressed by the first horizontal direction compressing means and the second horizontal direction compressing means, respectively, in a row; trimming means for trimming the number of characters to be displayed per line of a half screen on the second picture signal side smaller than the number of characters to be displayed per line of a full screen, in composing the first picture signal and the second picture signal in a row and displaying on the screen of the displaying apparatus by the picture composing means; and rearranging means for rearranging the characters to be displayed on the lines in which the number of characters has been trimmed by the trimming means, whereby displaying all the characters included in the second picture signal on the half screen.
According to the fourteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, in displaying the television program and the Internet screen half and half on a screen, the characters of the Internet screen can be displayed in easily discernible manner.
The fifteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourteenth aspect, the trimming means has an image memory which has a region to store the second picture signal to be displayed on the half screen at the time of composing the first picture signal and the second picture signal in a row and displaying them on the screen of the displaying apparatus, and the picture signal to be displayed on the half-screen is read out from the region when composing the first and second picture signals in a row and displaying them on the screen.
According to the fifteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, in displaying the television program and the Internet screen half and half on a screen, the characters of the Internet screen can be displayed in easily discernible manner.
The sixteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus according to the present invention comprises: picture signal outputting means for extracting a first picture signal from a television signal and outputting it; data converting means for converting digital data taken in from the Internet through a communication line into a second picture signal; a displaying apparatus for displaying a picture signal on a screen; Internet relating picture signal generating means for generating a picture signal relating to the second picture signal; switching means for switching the picture signal for displaying on the screen of the displaying apparatus to either the picture signal relating to the Internet or the first picture signal; storing means for storing the time to be switched by the switching means, and the television channel to be selected at the time; selecting means for selecting the television channel; and clocking means; wherein, in case where the picture signal relating to the Internet is displayed on the screen of the displaying apparatus, when the time indicated by the clocking means reaches the time, the switching means switches to the first picture signal, and the selecting means selects the television channel stored in the storing means.
According to the sixteenth aspect of the Internet information displaying apparatus of the present invention as above, the television program may be reserved, and as the television program is displayed on the screen at the starting time of the television program even during the searching of the Internet information. Therefore, the user does not miss the desired television program.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.